Chapter 61. Calen Castle, Part XXII

Maribel smiled merrily as he shook his head, as if it could not be.

"The girl is very good-looking. I was afraid she would be touched by other hands in the theater. So, accepting the demands of the Marquise and to protect her, I kept her appearance hidden from childhood. But it was highly commendable for this child to keep her disguise on when she worked as a maid, saying that she didn't want to be subjected to harsh conditions. If Your Excellency were to see her in person, you'll see what I'm talking about."

"She's grown up in disguise since she was a child, no one knows what she looks like?"

"Yes. She's always been in disguise since she was five. I and the two employees who have taken care of her are the only ones to have seen her face bare."

The Duke's expression, which had been hard all along, finally loosened softly. "You'll need a dead body in the theater sooner or later."

"Yes, Your Excellency. A poor orphan child I've cared for since she was a child is going to get sick and die."

The eyes of Duke Kiellini and Maribel met. A moment later, when the Duke nodded, Maribel rose from her seat and bowed politely.

"I hope you have a great time and hope to see you often in the future."

---

"Yes, what?"

Albert looked carefully at the maid in front of him who asked back in surprise, raising her thick glasses. Although he seriously agonized over whether His Highness was ill, he spoke again because he needed to fulfill the order."His Highness will take Miss Salmon as his concubine. Please serve His Highness only until a new maid arrives from Austern. You only have to serve in the bedroom. My servant will be in charge of external affairs. When a new maid arrives, there will be a formal announcement of Ms. Salmon's identity."

At Albert's careful speech with honorific words, Julietta seemed about to faint.

'Did this happen because of yesterday's incident? But why me? There are beauties everywhere who are trying so hard to get their employers' attention, why?'

"Well, the grand chamberlain. I'm sorry, but I don't intend to."

At Julietta's refusal, Albert was stunned. A maid kicked out of a glorious seat... his heart sank in the discerning eye of the Prince.

"Why, why, why are you refusing?" Albert took out his handkerchief to dry the sweat that never came out, grabbing his spirit of passing by.

"Think about it. I've seen all of His Highness in Harrods' mansion, and you want me to be a lover of him? I can't do it. If I am in that mood, His Highness and other women's actions will dance in my head."

Standing by for Killian in the morning, she was relieved to see that her employer was no different than usual. It was unfair to her that she couldn't sleep well.

Furthermore, the Prince generously left the room for the morning meeting and told Julietta to rest today because she had been in jail for two days. But what a ridiculous situation this was!

Albert's face was blacked out by Julietta's reasoned refusal. He could not say the words, 'You are arrogant. How dare you refuse His Highness?' He even thought that the Prince might be ashamed of his past.

Albert, who thought he should speak to the Prince again, said soothingly, "Miss Salmon, I understand what you're talking about. His Highness is out to check the location of the upcoming hunting competition, so I'll tell him as soon as he gets back."

When Albert who had nothing to say said that, Julietta felt regret. It was because it wasn't something she could say no to. However, it was not a matter to agree to.

Even though the Prince was terribly handsome and sexually attractive, the position of Prince's concubine was not appealing to her in the least. She had dreamed of an ideal man who was friendly and just for her. Considering the situation of her mother and herself who had been abandoned overnight, it didn't matter how honorable the seat was in the eyes of others.

Although she had driven them out coldly, Julietta understood the Marquise a hundred times.

'Who would want to share her man with another woman?'

She didn't want to be the Prince's concubine and grab the hair of a woman who would become an Empress, or other women's.

Above all, of course, she couldn't do anything about what would happen due to the curse of Manny after revealing her appearance, and the disguise she had hidden so far would also be discovered. She never wanted to go through the adventure that would take place when the maids told someone, 'You are more beautiful than Julietta,' to please a mistress who would try to look good for the Prince.

Julietta asked Albert, who had risen with a dark face, and politely bowed deeply, "Please speak well to His Highness. But I can't do it even if you want. When will he be back?"

"He has to look at all the hunting grounds, so I'm sure he'll stay there today and be back tomorrow afternoon. Then, rest well until then. I'll bring your meal up to your room."

When Albert said goodbye with unquestionable courtesy and left the room, Julietta returned to her room next to the dressing room and opened the closet door. The clothes that had been dirtied in the prison were still in the corner without being washed, but she couldn't afford to pack them.

Taking a precious glass bottle from the pouch lying on the floor of the closet and putting it down on the table, she put in a small bag containing a feather pen and belongings in her pocket, and her only pajamas.

It would be conspicuous to carry her luggage out as she sneaked out. Even though she felt sorry for the only bag, she decided to give it up and hid the pouch in her clothes.

Julietta calmly escaped the Prince's space as she tried to disguise her bulging breasts as much as possible. The knights were as unshakable as the stone statues and showed no interest in the monarch's maid leaving the room. They immediately cut off their gaze of the tacky maid disappearing towards the stairs, busily shaking her hips.

She walked through an empty corridor without any interruption and went out through the passage for the maids on the other side. It was the entrance shown her by an aristocratic woman who had put herself in a trap. Right after leaving this entrance, she had shouted that she was beaten by Julietta.

As she walked past the place where she had been set up and down the road leading to the outer castle, Julietta thought she would take off her wig as soon as she left the castle. The Prince might not try to find her if she ran away, but there was no harm in being careful, as he might have followed her, thinking this was a shame.

Julietta, who was busy walking was nervous and slightly sidetracked when she heard the carriage approaching from behind her.

"Your Excellency, isn't that the maid in front of us?"

Tomas, Duke Kiellini's servant, saw a woman in a brown dress walking on the edge of the road leading to the gate and informed his master. Duke Kiellini was coming out to the street to buy a gift to commemorate his visit to Bertino for his daughter.

When he and Thomas heard that the party of the Prince was on the land of Count Baden, they ran the wagon at dawn and arrived in the morning, and now saw Julietta coming out of a blacksmith's workshop. As Maribel had explained, the fat lady with the ugly brick-colored hair was walking toward the inn where the Prince was staying, shaking her big hips, as if she were excited about something.

At the words of Thomas, Duke Kiellini raised himself from the backrest. He knocked the ceiling to stop the carriage.

"Bring the maid."

At his command, Thomas hurried off the wagon and caught up to Julietta, who was walking busily along. He pointed out the carriage to the maid looking at him in astonishment. Julietta was led up to the carriage by Thomas.